Stripes (1981)

Must See Movie...

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The truly bittiest of bit parts, he appears for about a second as a soldier in a TV ad during the movie.It was originally intended as a Cheech & Chong movie, which wouldve been a lot funnier.As it is, some big comedy names appear here, some for the first time. Harold Ramis (writer of Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters and Stripes. Plays Egon in Ghostbusters) Bill Murray (you all know Bill Murray, right?) Warren Oates (plays the sergeant, most famous for beating Officer Murtaugh's "I'm too old for this sh*t" catchphrase by 6 years) Sean Young (Rachael in Bladerunner) John Candy (Blues Brothers, SNL, Spaceballs, Home Alone, Cool Runnings) John Larroquette (The librarians, night court, boston legal, the 10th kingdom, the John Larroquette show (funnily enough)) Judge Reinhold (Beverly Hills Cop) Antone Pagán (another bit part actor, but he gets bit parts in some big movies: enter the dragon, taxi driver, Saturday night fever, the warriors, dirty dancing, fatal attraction, gladiator) A very silly movie and quite possibly the 2nd unfunniest movie I've ever seen bill murray in (the first is the dreadful 'lost in translation')

It's nice to see some of the casts of Saturday Night Live and SCTV come together on film. Here, Bill Murray meets John Candy, and it's absolute hilarity at the expense of the army, obviously made on the basis of the success of "Private Benjamin", but changing genders as it heads back into comic territory that has tickled audiences going back way before Abbott and Costello turned the military upside down in "Buck Privates". Here, Murray and old pal Harold Ramos enter the military and fond themselves getting away with all sorts of pranks, with Candy and Judge Reinhold among the others they encounter in an attempt at becoming soldiers that seems to be a major implausibility. This farce isn't reflective of army life in any way, shape or form, just a scathing commentary on the silliness of the seriousness of it all. Arrogant non-commissioned officers, serious privates and imperious officers are given scathing portrayals, showing the real life NCO's, privates and commissioned officers how ridiculous they look with that scowling look and stuck up attitude that under some circumstances leads to rebellion. A young John Laroquette spoofs that image as the new captain on the training base who has secrets that isn't becoming of an officer.Emulating Sergeant Carter from "Gomer Pyle U.S.M.D.", Warren Oates plays the typical screaming and sneering drill sergeant who meets his match in the sassy Murray. P.J. Soles and Sean Young play two female m.p.'s who are lacking in discipline every time they encounter Murray and Ramis, especially when Murray gets frisky with an ice cream scoop. Forget about any sense of reality with their characters, thrown in along with some innocent T&A for sexy thrills. Having already explored slobs vs. the preppy's and slobs vs. the snobs, this is the slobs vs. humorless authority, making along with "Animal House" and "Caddyshack" a trio of slob comedies that started a new genre of comedy and one that is still ripped off today.

This movie has some funny jokes here and there, but that's about it. I was really confused about this movie, because a lot of the characters just walked around saying "funny" things, often without any context, and without a normal or funny response from the people the characters were talking to. I'm not a movie expert, so I'm not sure if the clichés in this movie were just clichés, or if this movie is actually the one responsible for the making of these clichés. That does not change the fact that they are indeed clichés. An over the top drill sergeant that has no humour, but in the end becomes friends (kinda) with the person he hated the most. A fat guy who is, well, fat. A psycho, a no- brainer and so on. I also found myself very puzzled about the main characters best friend. I simply could not see him as a real person for some reason. Bill Murray plays the same role he always has, but it just doesn't work in this movie.The plot is pretty thin and dumb, which would be fine if the movie didn't take itself that serious. But it does. None of the events, make any sense and it is really annoying when the movie is so often humorless. There is not any kind of consequences for the characters, no they actually get awarded for screwing up so many times. The movie could have used this contradiction as a comedic effect, but it instead implies that these guys have done something good, and that they deserve the praise. This movie should have been waaaay more goofy for the plot to work.This movie seems to have gotten a lot of praise from both critics and regular viewers, but I can only understand that if it is because of its importance. I would have to disagree strongly that this is a good comedy movie.

To me I feel that "Stripes" reminds me a lot like the classic Army comedy "Private Benjamin" with Bill Murray taking the place of Goldie Hawn with only a few distinctive differences. Hawn didn't really know very much about the Army or the many regiments and training you have to go through to make it in the Army. While Bill Murray's Pvt. John Winger seems to know a lot about the Army protocols and the many ways he could outsmart and outwit his superiors. To me, his sardonic humour is played quite effectively and might be one of the reasons why this movie is really good. Back in 1981, Illinois native Bill Murray was pretty much in his third year gracing the silver screen with witty charm, cynical humour and manipulative tactics to outsmart practically anyone crossing his path. After donning his craft on sketch comedies like "Saturday Night Live" and the Canadian equivalent "SCTV", Murray has churned up a string full of off-the-wall comedies like "Meatballs", 'Caddieshack" and "Stripes' being his third one shows that his flair for slapstick comedy is just a natural thing for him. Why spoil a good thing? Right?The opening scenes features Winger who after a few hours loses his job as a cab driver, his girlfriend dumps him and a basketball ricochets through his window. Feeling like there's nowhere to turn to, he enlists in the Army. He also tries to persuade his brilliant friend Russell Ziskey (Harold Ramis) who's an English teacher to foreign students. The duo collaborates and writes their own set of Army protocols much to the chagrin of the hard-nosed Sgt. Hulka (Warren Oates who hasn't acted in while due to poor health). Murray seems to be permanently liberal in points of view towards the people surrounding him, both superior and inferior to him. He's not afraid to speak his mind out about you, even if it's not very flattering. When Hulka get shot, Winger arbitrarily steps up to the plate and commands the other recruits and these are where the funny bits of the movie comes to effect. Unfortunately, like "Private Benjamin", "Stripes" gets lost out of focus near the middle of the film. In "Private Benjamin", the film lost its charm once the feminist message comes across while they were in Europe. In "Stripes" the film gets bogged down one he goes on a mission in Europe. If they would've stuck to the slapstick elements it was intended for, the movie would've been much better. Winger's initiative was to operate on the very first mechanized armoured vehicle, before it gets underway, Winger and Ziskey hijack the RV and goes behind the Iron Curtain and they become lustful towards two female MP's (Sean Young and P.J. Soles). If the focus was on these four characters, it would have worked out in the long run. Instead it concentrates on the ridiculous mud wrestling scenes and the RV hijacking. The final product becomes deplorably infantile and takes away the intrigue that both Murray and Ramis carry throughout the film as likable obnoxious characters. I liked it when Pvt. Winger verbally lashes down at the recruits and belittles their background upbringings.The late John Candy a long-time alum from "SCTV" fame comes here on his own as Pvt. Dewey Oxberger and he's more than just a friendly heavy- set guy, he's an ally of Winger's and his comedic wit is equally effective and rivals nice with Murray's.